The Love of God?

Okay, so you read my previous post--with the questions about experiencing and/or sometimes not sensing the love of God. And you said to yourself, "Wow, that's going to take some thought." And then you forgot to think about it. Right?

So this is just a gentle reminder: Please, I really am interested in your thoughts/reflections on this topic. The one response I received was very interesting and encouraging. But I sincerely want to see what other input you have on the topic(s).

No right or wrong answers. Just where you are on the subject currently and/or where you have traveled on this journey to this point.

Thank you!
ttfn

The Love of God?

Here are my questions for you: Without referencing forgiveness of sins, death and resurrection of Christ would you please answer these questions:

What has God done in your life that convinces you he loves YOU (i.e., you personally, not just people in general)?

Do you ever struggle with the question, "Does God really love ME?" if so, what prompts that/those thought(s)?

Thank you....
ttfn

The Love of God

Just a quick note today to open a tiny bit what is going on inside: I know all the correct theological terms relating to the love of God. But, for years (decades?) I have kept the door closed that would allow a real confrontation with that love.

Recently however, I started reading another book by Henri Nouwen. I've read a number of books by him in the past. This is not his latest; his posthumous editor keeps churning out various combinations extracted from his writings. But it is the latest for me to read. It is called, Show me the Way (it is a series of Lenten devotionals [yes, I know it is not Lent yet but don't distract me]). And as Nouwen is inclined to do, he dwells repeatedly and in-depth on the subject of the incomprehensible love of God.

Well, that got me reflecting some. And that's about as far as I can go with it at this point in this context. I'm simply realizing that for some time I have followed God's leading and his instructions because there really is no other sensible course to follow. He is the one true God. Where else would I go?

But at the same time I knew/suspected that I was holding something back. And now I sense that I must climb into this cave called "The Love of God" and find out how deep it goes and what surprises lie hidden inside it/him.

Pray!

ttfn

Fun in the Snow

I just had to slip in a couple pics of me shoveling snow since bw was seen doing so previously. You can see we still have a loooooooong way to go to get to Blanca (the car).

Well, I made it out to a little way into the driving area at least.
Then bw came out and I reminded her of the snow angels. Well, first she suggested we just make a snowman instead. But I explained that the snow really wasn't wet enough to make a good snowman. We could have done it; but it would have taken a lot more work. On reflections, I realize that she probably thought a snow angel was just basically a fancier version of a snow man, only with wings.
Finally, she asked me to show her how to make a snow angel. So when I walked backward into the snow and plopped onto my back, I think she was pretty surprised. Then she laughed with enjoyment. And then she ordered me to wait while she got the camera again and took pics of me making my snow angel.
Next, of course, was her turn. So she bundled up a little more than she had been. And we went out the back door.
You really can't see her face because of the scarf wrapped around her. But trust me: She was enjoying herself. Then, since she was already bundled, she did a little more tromping in the snow. She's such a good sport about the winter and snow and the weather, etc.!

Finally, we decided to go for a little longer walk--out onto the street and down to our church about 3/4 mile away. So that got use out of the house and into the air.

So that was our day!

ttfn

Living in the Pacific Northwest, the rest of the story

So a few days ago I posted some pics & vids of the beautiful scenery around here. I hope I did not give the impression that the weather was as mild as it appeared in those pics. The fact is that for Oregon, it was fairly cold. CS & GS will have a different perspective as to what cold is. But for this area, having a high of 28 and a low at night of 12 and winds of 10, 20, 30 makes it feel fairly cold for us.

Well, as of yesterday morning, we got the other part of living in the Pacific Northwest. Note, we still love living here. But, sometimes I just kind of shake my head and wonder what in the world???

This first vid shows the view from our front door. It started snowing about 10a.m. yesterday (Saturday) and finally stopped this morning (Sunday) about 10a.m.! Now perhaps you know that I've lived where we had lots of snow. And I've seen snow much deeper than this. But I don't recall seeing the snow fall non-stop for 24 hours. Sometimes it came down light but steady. But most of the time the snow fell fairly heavy and steady and moderately big flakes--albeit the snow itself was comparatively dry. If you live(d) in snow country you know what I mean.

These next 2 pics (as well as the 2 vids) were all taken about 6:30 or 7a.m. That explains the wierd color effects--that plus the fact that all our surroundings are snow-covered or walls. Anyway, these 2 pics are just a couple stills out the front door, showing the bushes right by our building, just to the right of the door.

And I think this 2nd vid is self-explanatory (if you have the sound on which also would have been helpful on the first vid).

Well, Pastor emailed us last night to say we probably would cancel services this morning. At that point in time, he measured 13 inches snow in his back yard. And we have a number of people who live "up the mountain" so we know they got exponentially more than down here in the "valley." So we were not surprised to get the email this morning confirming that plan. So I set the dvr to record some televised services. And we watched Charles Stanley already this morning and plan to watch maybe 1 or 2 more as the day progresses.

Check back later today... Our (my???) plan is to go out in the snow this afternoon so I can teach bw how to make snow angels!!!

Well I think that's all for now. Sooooooo

ttfn

The Good and the Ugly

Today I found a couple articles I'd like to pass along. Okay, do you want the good first? Or the ugly first?

Okay. The "ugly" first: Dana Jacobson (I don't mean to suggest that Dana is ugly; rather that her comment was ugly), a commentator for ESPN was speaking at a Roast at Notre Dame University. If she had said something comparable at a traditionally Black university (i.e. substitute the word "black" instead of the word "Jesus"), you know she would be crippled for the rest of her broadcasting career. So click on the link and read the rest of the story. ESPN simply says they have disciplined her. And she simply said she respects all religions and she said it because she was drunk. Well, that did not work for Mel Gibson and it should not be sufficient for Dana Jacobson. Yes, I believe in forgiveness. But I also believe in sincere repentance and consequences for my offenses.

Okay. The "good" next (I saved this for second because you asked to hear the ugly first; remember?) No I saved this for second because it leaves a more positive aftereffect. Since my recent trip to India, you won't be surprised to know that "all things India" come very close to my heart. Yes, I would move there right now, if I/we had reliable income support. But all things in God's timing. Right? So last night as we were climbing into bed.... In fact, we had already been in bed a little while and had said our goodnights and I had rolled over to go to sleep (but I'm getting sidetracked).... It was about that time when the announcer on KLOVE gave a brief report about an animated film called "Godman" that was recently broadcast on nationwide television in India. The report said that over 3 million people were reported to have watched it (details in the link). And the source said that literally hundreds of thousands have prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Please go to this account and read the rest. Then please pray for these new believers and their believing contacts who will disciple them. And please pray for the Church of Jesus in India. There has already been an upsurge in persecution there. And this event will bring even more suffering.

More than 1 missiologist has predicted that by the year 2015 or thereabouts, Christian faith will become the dominant faith in India! Do you believe that? Can you believe it?

Pray in faith that it will be so.

ttfn

Why we live in the Pacific Northwest!

So today was one of those "Chamber of Commerce" days. In some respects, these days are like the CoC days of Los Angeles: The wind comes from the East and the sky turns amazingly blue and you can see the mountains!

This first pic was taken from in front of our condo. This is looking north beyond the Baptist church. You might notice Mt. Adams looming in the distance. This is why we love living in the Pacific Northwest!

I couldn't get a clear, direct shot of Mt. Hood from our complex. (From upstairs inside, we can see the tip of the mountain which is fun in its own way.) But that gave me all the excuse I needed (and more) to take a little drive up to Panorama Point, just SE of Hood River, where I got the pic below.

Again I say: This is why we love living in the Pacific Northwest!

This video below was taken at the same point. Yes, that is bw at the beginning. If you have the sound working, you can hear some of my narration. To any Northwesterners watching/listening the mountain that appears is (once again) Mt. Hood. I say that because the wind happened to drown out my narration just at the point when I tell the name of the mountain.

Well, on review, I realized that the previous vid did not really show the valley below. So I tried it again (the following vid). But I'm still not sure how well you can see it. But nestled in the valley below lies our lovely community of Hood River. And hidden between the hills runs the Columbia River as it heads into the Gorge.

This is why we love living in the Pacific Northwest!

So we drove a little further up the highway. I was looking for a spot where I could shoot both mountains simply with a turn of the camera. Although there are many places along the way, I did not see them in time. Finally, on the way back down the mountain, I found the spot near the little town of O'Dell. So the vid below is not done to show you the vehicles whizzing past us. Rather it is to show the gorgeous mountains both north and south of our little valley.

This is why we love living in the Pacific Northwest!

Last Spring, I was on a tour of Seattle. Now Seattle is lovely city and region. We in Portland and Oregon in general have kind of a love/hate relationship with the Emerald City. We maintain a lively rivalry with her. Residents of each city claiming that our own city is the more beautiful and scenic. But if anyone from outside our region is heard criticizing the other, we close ranks. It's kind of like in a family: I can criticize Seattle all you want; but if you don't live in the area, don't you dare. Know what I mean?

So on this tour, these ladies sitting behind me started ragging on Seattle. Two of the ladies were from the Denver area; the other from Chicago. They just hated the cloudy skies. As we sailed over the Puget Sound we encountered a little mist in the air. They couldn't imagine anyone living in such conditions. I kept my mouth shut; my father taught me to be nice to ladies. But inside I was fuming: The Denver airport had already been shut down twice for snow that winter. And Chicago? Give me a break!

This is why we love living in the Pacific Northwest!

ttfn

The Name of the Lord, reply

I received a delightful reply to a previous post. And I will try to respond to it here:

1. The fact that the Jews use(d) the name Adonai in place of the tetragrammaton seems to illustrate the very problem that I'm concerned about: Calling God Adonai is not sufficient. As I understand it, Adonai could and was used in reference to many different entities. Since it simply means "lord," it simply recognizes the other as superior. Using this in reference to YHWH fails to credit God with his infinitude or his holiness or any of his other attributes that place him so far beyond our grasp that we had no chance of contacting him until he took the initiative.

Most of our society has reduced the concept of God to such a common level that we no longer see him in his majesty. We celebrate the birth of Jesus. But we tend to miss the point: That the infinite, transcendent God of the universe humbled himself to come in human form.

2. I grant that there is value in revering the name of God. I wish I could find a term that does not literally translate the tetragrammaton and yet conveys God's transcendence. Do you have a suggestion for another term that would meet both criteria?

3. It's quite alright for you to suggest that I am advocating a break with tradition. I learned that from my father and he from his mother. And there have been enough people in the Christian movement who have also broken with tradition. I am not interested in breaking with tradition simply to do something new or different. But when a given tradition--in this case using only the word LORD to refer to God--loses its significance, perhaps it is time to consider a break. And when--and I think such a time has come--when a tradition actually contributes to the demeaning of the transcendence of God, then it seems it might be time to seriously try such a break.

4. I respect your views. I hope you know that by my attempt at an orderly response, I am paying you one of the highest compliments I can give you: You and your thoughts are worthy of my consideration and further discussion. "Iron sharpens iron."

In Christ,
ef

The Name of the Lord, part 4

In this series of musings on the name of the LORD/YHWH, I have confined my focus to the Old Testament for obvious reason: That is where we find the tetragrammaton. But follow me now and you (and those you disciple?) can gain some insight in how to respond to interesting people who knock on our doors when we least expect them....

When the 70 Jewish elders translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek (the Septuagint or LXX), they came to this term YHWH. I don't know if what follows applies to all the places in the OT where YHWH is used or only to the conversation with Moses when God revealed his name. The sense I got when I first learned this was that what follows was the case throughout the OT. But I cannot say for certain; perhaps you can clarify for me.

When the elders came to YHWH and translated it into Greek, they used the Gk phrase, "ego eimi," translated "I AM." The thing about this phrase is this: If all they wanted to say was, "I am," they could have done so with only the verb, "eimi." By including the pronoun "ego" they employed a usage that has special significance. If you know Spanish, you will be familiar with the same kind of pattern. If you want to say "I am" in Spanish, all you need to say is, "Soy." If you say, "Yo soy," then you either reveal your ignorance of the language or you are trying to communicate something out of the ordinary. Well, the translaters of the OT wanted to communicate something out of the ordinary: That YHWH always has been and always will be; that YHWH exists beyonw the boundaries of time; that YHWH is eternal.

Now here is the interesting: In John 8:58, Jesus uses the exact same phrase: "Before Abraham was ego eimi." This is not an accidental slip of the language. The apostles understood the significance of the statement (witness the fact that John remembered it 50 years later); and Jesus' opponents understood his claim (witness their reaction).

So what was Jesus claiming in this statement? Jesus claimed to be the same person who met with Moses on Mt. Sinai. This statement claims the same eternality that the OT assigns to the one true God.

Now for those people who knock on our doors from time to time:

1. For the Jehovah's Witnesses: This claim in John 8:58 reveals to them that Jesus saw himself as one and the same person as the one who spoke to Moses. If Jehovah spoke to Moses, Jesus was claiming that he himself was/is/will be Jehovah. And in doing so, he claimed that he has always existed, that there never was a time when he did not exist, that he is eternally one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Try sharing that with the JWs next time they come around. Do it in a friendly way. And watch their reaction. The down side: You won't get many visits from them in the future. :)

2. For the LDS missionaries: This claim in John 8:58 is a claim to eternality. As I understand the LDS teaching, Jehovah is the god of this world, that he was begotten by the god of another world, and that Jehovah begot Jesus. Well, the very name Jehovah is a claim to eternality. So how could Jehovah claim eternality if he was in fact begotten by some other god? And how could Jesus claim eternality if in fact he was begotten by Jehovah?

Well, I eagerly await your feedback on these thoughts!

ttfn

The Name of the Lord, part 3

If it is true that some term such as "The Eternal" or "The I AM" is a better translation for YHWH, then....

1. What would happen if we started reading Old Testament passages with one of these terms? What would happen if we read it this way aloud in our Christian gatherings?

2. Have believers become so attached to the traditional usage, "LORD," that a reader who tried this would face rebellion? Would that be a bad thing (to face rebellion for such a change)?

Well, just some thoughts/questions/musings.

BTW: Would you breath a prayer for my friend Stuart? He is facing the first of 2 very sensitive surgeries this morning. They are making some corrections to the C-1 or 2 vertebrae (or something in that vicinity). Stuart has been a great encourager, friend and support during these past 8 - 10 years. Thank you.

ttfn

The Name of the Lord, part 2

So here is what has been going through my mind/spirit/soul recently: The word "Lord" seems to have lost a lot of its import. Remember George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"? Remember he was not singing about Jesus? That could be just one example. Along the same line, my recent visit to India underscored the sense that "lord" could mean a number of things. Even in the Bible, ordinary humans are called lord. Abraham and David were called lord. Even evil enemy kings could be called lord. All we mean by the word "lord" is that the person being addressed or so described is seen as superior to oneself.

Is that all we mean by the "LORD" in the Old Testament?

Certainly the long-orthodox view is that the Person being addressed or described as "LORD" in the OT was/is much more than simply superior to us humans. Granted YHWH is far superior to us. But we believe that superior does not begin to describe YHWH. And if we look at the word "LORD"--even when it is printed in upper case letters--does not describe our God.

And God seems to suggest something along that line when giving the name YHWH. The statement is "I AM that I AM. Tell them I AM sent you." Moses' instructions were not "Tell them the LORD sent you." That could have referred to anyone (well, almost anyone). But to tell the Israelites, "I AM sent me," conveys a very different meaning.

I AM carries a claim on eternality. I AM claims to have started time and everything within time. I AM claims to one day put an end to time and everything within time.

Well, all of that to explain that I have moved to using a different term in my personal Bible study. When I see the OT reference "LORD," I verbalize "The Eternal." Initially, I used the literal, "I AM," but "The Eternal" feels more appropriate for no apparent reason (to me).

Example: The passage I studied in today's study included 2 Kings 18:5, "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel." Anyone can read that and interpret it how they want (and different groups do just that). But when I read, "Hezekiah trusted in the Eternal [or the Eternal One], the God of Israel," for me at least, that makes the meaning more meaningful! :)

Another plus: Ah but I'll save that for next time. :)

What do you think?

ttfn

The Name of the Lord

Am I the only one with this concern?

As I work through the Old Testament in my personal Bible study, I keep mulling over the word that is printed as "LORD." If I remember my classroom lessons on this term, and my pastoral studies and my sermons and discipleship lessons, etc., this is the way convention says for us to write God's name when the Hebrew actually says "YHWH."

Those of you who have access to such resources still, can you verify/confirm this for me? Or correct me if my recall is failing me?

Once I have confirmation on that, I have a radical proposition. What you're not surprised? We'll see about that!

ttfn

Snow Day!

So we woke up to snow today! Those of us who had listened/watched the weather reports knew this was coming. The only uncertainties: (1) How much would fall; (2) When would it start and stop; (3) Would school be delayed or closed?

The pic above was taken about 6:30 or 7:00a.m. I think at that point we had about 3 inches. Now those of us who have in the past or even now still live(d) in heavy snow country: We know that 3" is not much snow. And if our schools drew students only from HR proper, we probably would have gone ahead and had school. But we draw students from the slopes of Mt. Hood. And if we got 3" by the start of day, they probably already had close to a foot of snow. Thus, school was canceled for today.

Here is the vid I took at the same time as the above. With sound you can get a little commentary from yours truly.

And the snow was still coming!

In my defense, I must say that I shoveled the snow first (before the pics below). And I'll explain about the following pics in a moment.

After I awakened bw, I suggested that we walk to Shari's restaurant for breakfast. It's about a mile away--or less perhaps. She was NOT excited about that. So I said fine. But I still wanted to go. So I remained very calm about it and just explained that that's fine if she did not want to go. But I still wanted to. So I would walk there alone. Well, I was almost out the door when she said "Darling! Wait for me!" So we walked together.
By then, the snow was about 5 inches. The area nearest our condo had no tire tracks or anything. So for the first section we had to trudge through the snow. But then we got to tire tracks and that made it easier. And when we got to the street, those had already been plowed. So the walking was easy. But we had to watch out for car/truck traffic, because the sidewalks were still buried.
After breakfast, we walked back home. Saw our pastor's wife and another lady from the church driving by. They stopped and cheered us on for enjoying a walk in the snow. When we got back home, bw decided to shovel some of the snow. Meanwhile, I got my tape measure and checked the depth on the sidewalk in front of the condo (away from where any shoveled snow had landed). By now it was up to 6 inches on the tape measure.
I tried to get bw to come inside for hot chocolate (we eventually did enjoy some). But by this point, she was enjoying the snow so much--and even enjoying shoveling it--that she wanted to stay out and keep shoveling until the hot chocolate was ready.

I did not protest.

Thus the pics of bw shoveling.

Supposed to get rain this afternoon and then precip stopping some time tonight. Probably back to routine tomorrow.

BTW: Still snowing at Noon our time--sometimes heavy; sometimes light. But still steady.



Thanks for reading!

ttfn

Christmas video

It looks like I finally got my little video from Cmas morning. This also gives a little more feel for the layout and space-availability of our new home.

It is now Sunday a.m. #1 is starting his first Sunday in KS. Please pray for him.

ttfn

Christmas note at last

As the previous post explained, we were having difficulty (impossibility?) in uploading any visual effects. As a result, I had not even attempted to show anything from Christmas. Now at last I can share a little about that special time--our first Christmas in our own home (well, 1/360th ours; i.e., 1 part ours and 359 parts the Bank's). Anyway you know what I mean.

So Mom joined us, coming over the Friday before Cmas and returning home the day after. We invited a couple from our church to join us for the Cmas dinner. That added something special to the frestivities. As is my/our custom, we slept in very much in the morning--till around 9:00 or maybe even later.

Then we dug into our stockings (Mom especially campaigned for these). And finally got around to the presents themselves. Bw and I had agreed that the framing of our tapestry from India would be our gift. But then I told her that actually I still had a little something (handmade purse) for her from India that I was saving for Cmas. So she went out and bought the store for me (new sweater and a book). In the video that follows, you can see the tapestry hanging on the wall in the background near the end of the vid.

[I'll try to get the vid in another time. I just got an "error" message.]

Amber came by both before and after Cmas. She spent most of the week with her mother and grandmother. But we got to see her (and Daisy) both coming and going. Below is a pic of the plates she made for us, with our favorite verses on them.

Oh yeah...One other note about Cmas: I went to the local RC church for midnight mass. I don't do that every year. But I've done it off and on since college days. It started as kind of our mini-rebellion against the established denomination we grew up in. But I have found it a pleasant change of pace as a context for worship God vis-a-vis his incarnation.

This year more than years before, I have contemplated the incredible concept of the ultimate, holy, infinite, eternal, pure, all-wise, omniscient, all-present GOD (can you grasp even that part?)--this GOD came to earth as a baby. It has been said so many times. But it all comes back to that.

When we emphasize the birth of this special baby, we really kind of miss the point of it all. The point is NOT that a special baby was born. The point is that GOD became flesh.

Try to come to grips with that!

ttfn

Nephews and Niece

Yes, it has been a while since posting. My "excuse" (it's nothing more than that) is that since moving in here we have had trouble with the upload speed of our arrangements. Mostly this affected our land line phone. But it also resulted in very slow response on our internet connection as well. Sooooooo, I'm using that as my excuse for not posting.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Okay.... so that said, bw and I drove into the big city tonight to see our 2 nephews and 1 niece. SS was visting overnight and arranged for the 5 of us to get together. For those in the pdx area, we went to Rock Bottom Brewery. If you have not been there, try it. If you have already been there, I know you'll go back without my encouragement.

Well, below is the obligatory pic of nephews and niece (wouldn't you know I would get the most attractive one at the back of the line up!).

But this next is not obligatory. I took this vid right after they arrived. I figured at least their mom, SS, and their grandmother would enjoy seeing it. (Not sure that there are many others reading this, now that I think of it.)

Sorry that is so dark. But at leat you got a glimpse of us. Well, thanks for reading....

ttfn